<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/18/new-zealand-golden-visa-applications-america-china>
"Wealthy Americans are dominating applications for New Zealand’s “golden visa”,
driven by a love for the country’s natural beauty and entrepreneurial spirit,
as well a desire to escape Trump’s administration.
New rules for the Active Investor Plus visa came into effect in April 2025,
lowering investment thresholds, removing English-language requirements and
cutting the amount of time applicants must spend in the country to establish
residency from three years to three weeks. Successful applicants can only
purchase homes in New Zealand worth more than $5m.
Immigration New Zealand said the new scheme offering residency to wealthy
foreigners has attracted 573 applications, representing 1,833 people. Before
the changes, the visa attracted 116 applications over two-and-a-half years.
The most recent data released by the government showed that investors from the
US made up nearly 40% of applicants, followed by China and Hong Kong. Since
August 2025, the number of applications from China more than doubled, from 45
to 95.
The remaining top 10 countries in order included Germany, Taiwan, Singapore,
Vietnam, Japan and South Korea tied, and Great Britain."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
